Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Byron Sambrook- ex patient- 1943-45

I was surprised when my doctor informed me
that there was an exhibition in Swansea museum regarding Craig-y-nos.

I have been to see it and it was very interesting, but there were no photographs of my era as I was a patient there between 1943-45.

I first went into 'white ward' then out onto the balcony where I spent the rest of my stay. It was during the war years and of course there were no cameras and therefore no photographs.

I remember Nurse Davies. There was also a Sister Fischer there who was a Swiss subject and could not return home, she was a charming woman and spoilt us rotten, and when another patient and I was moved up to Highland Moors in Llandrindod Wells she accompanied us by taxi.

The Doctor was a Dr Jarman, he was based in Neath and visited
regularly, he was an out and out communist in those days but he had mellowed by the time I got home and visited the chest clinic in Neath.

There was a older boy there called Len Smalldon, from Swansea,
who had open wounds on his hands , face and leg, and he had to have
several operations while I was there and he screamed the house down
when they changed his dressing.

Other patients were on iron frames, sometimes for years...
the exhibition brought back old memories.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

there were several patients who i remember there at the same time...
a roy fitzgerald from cardiff,tony downey from port talbot who has passed away, and peter wagstaffe from neath whom i have met several times,both tony and peter were on iron frames. also at xmas time we were taken to the opera theatre to see a film called 'hells apopping' staring the marx brothers.